15 iPhone and iPad Games You Should Know About This Week

With a surprise XCOM port, a Call of Duty spin-off, and a few long-awaited indie gems, this isn’t your average week for new iPhone and iPad games. If you’re looking for something to play, there’s no shortage of options for your favorite iOS device right now.

We’ve rounded up the 15 most interesting new iPhone and iPad games from this week. Did we miss any gems? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!

XCOM: Enemy Within

XCOM: Enemy Unknown was nothing short of fantastic when it hit the App Store in 2013, taking one of the greatest strategy games of the last decade and shrinking it down to pocket-size while sacrificing (almost) nothing. As both a critical and commercial success, it seemed pretty much inevtiable that we’d see XCOM Enemy Within get the same treatment. Originally an expansion pack for the PC/console game, mobile gamers will be able to grab this as a standalone app.

Framed

A puzzle game with a cool film noir storyline and presentation, players change the story as it unfolds by re-arranging comic book panels to help an innocent man escape capture. Framed was a PAX 10 selection, which (in our opinion) pretty much always translates into an insta-buy.

Monument Valley: Forgotten Shores

If you played Monument Valley when it was released earlier this year, you probably only had one complaint: you wanted more. This week, developer ustwo delivers in the form of the ‘Forgotten Shores’ expansion pack. Adding 8 new chapters to the game, you can pick this up as an in-app purchase.

Marble Duel

File this one under “so obvious I can’t believe it hasn’t been done before.” With all of the match-3 fighters on the market, someone decided it was time to apply the same approach to Zuma-style marble poppers.

Random Heroes 3

The latest action platformer from Ravenous Games takes players back to the world of Random Heroes. The third installment is promising more than 25 weapons and characters. If you haven’t played these yet and want a taste of what this series is about first, you can get Random Heroes and Random Heroes 2 for free.

GOLFINITY

Endless, random, mini-golf from NimbleBit. It’s a big step away from their usual work, so it should be interesting to see how this turns out. Check our review later today to see if it’s a hole-in-one or putting in the rough.

Zengrams

Space Expedition: Classic Adventure

Promising a mix of action and puzzling, Space Expedition looks to mash-up a few genres to create a unique experience about an astronaut in search of answers. Also, if you’re a fan of pixel art, JUST LOOK AT THAT PIXEL ART.

Flick Soccer 15

Space Customs

Papers, Please was one of our favorite games of 2013. Much to our surprise, though, few games have tried to replicate the time-management-meets-customs-bureau formula. Space Customs looks like it might be the first to try something in a similar vein.

Annoying Cab

Here’s something unique! A game about texting answers for a chatty cab driver. Type too slow and he’ll kick you out. As someone whose texting skills are sub-par, I look forward to seeing if this can help improve my speed a bit.

Flyhunter Origins

We’ve recently talked about the “from the makers of” curse, so it is with trepidation that I tell you Flyhunter Origins comes to us from a team of animators who’ve worked on a number of Pixar and Disney projects. That said, he’s a stylish little character, so who am I to judge? Maybe this is the charming little platformer that sets the world on fire.